Gadgetory

- For the past couple of years, smartphones seem like they just kept getting bigger. Bigger displays, bigger batteries, and bigger price tags for this little computer we keep in our pockets every day. But here's the thing, if you're someone like me, you've never been able to carry a smartphone in your pocket. So, it's pretty exciting when Samsung decided to finally offer a smaller option with the S10E. It's basically the Goldilocks of smartphones. You get a little less than the original S10, but you save a bit of money for a phone that punches way above its weight. There's a lot more to talk about than just the size of this thing, and I will. I will just tell you, though, that smaller doesn't mean worse, and that's a huge relief in the era of giant smartphones. (techno beat) The best way to think about this phone is to figure out what the E in S10E stands for. If you've been paying close attention you might already know that Samsung says it stands for the essentials. But where I actually think it stands out is its ergonomics. The design is just easier for me to use than the regular S10 and a bunch of other Android phones because my hand can finally actually fit around the device and my fingers almost reach the entire screen. I think I speak for a lot of people that tech companies can stand to make phones that are even smaller than this. And so far, I think this is a step in the right direction. In the US, it comes in white, black, blue, and pink. At first glance, it's pretty obvious that the S10E is smaller than most other Android phones, but really not that much smaller in terms of width. It's only a millimeter narrower than the standard S10. But instead, you're getting a 5.8-inch screen because the bezels are a little thicker on the sides than on the S10's 6.1-inch screen. Now when I first heard about the S10E, I thought that even with the 5.8-inch screen the phone was going to be way too big to fit in my hands and pockets. But the shorter body is a surprisingly easy and pleasant solution. I also much prefer the placement of the fingerprint sensor on the power button on the side, over the S9's location underneath the camera, or even the S10's in-screen sensor. It feels a lot more natural because that's just where your thumb normally is when you pick up the phone. Plus there's a little divot that lets you find the reader without having to look at where you're aiming, which is a lot nicer than some other phones that have it flush with the rest of the phone. Now with that said, this placement might still be frustrating for left-handers. You end up needing to use your index or middle fingers sideways, and it can be a little awkward, but once you have it set up it does work well and works fast. Another neat thing about the S10E's power button is you can still use it to drag down the top navigation bar. That's just something you can't do with the S10's in-screen reader. And despite the shorter display, I still can't quite reach the top of the screen with one hand. So being able to use it this way is so much more convenient — as long as you're using your right hand. Let's come back to what Samsung claims the E really stands for: essentials. Yes, it's just a marketing term, but I do think Samsung has mostly nailed the essentials, and is just missing a few perks. Just like the S10, this thing's got the same Qualcomm processor, wireless charging features, headphone jack, stereo speakers, the same selfie camera, the same network performance, water resistance, SD card slot, and even the same internal storage as Samsung's more expensive S10 models. What you do give up is the telephoto lens, the bigger battery, and a nicer screen. The S10E has a Full HD display instead of a Quad HD display, which means it's only 1080p wide, and is about 100 ppi less than the regular S10. I actually don't think most people will notice this. It is only when you put phones side by side that you start to see any difference. For me, I find that even after adjusting the tones on the S10E for more vibrancy, the whites are still whiter on competitors like the Pixel 3, and you get a lot more depth there. For the past couple of years, Samsung phones have had curved edges, and the S10E screen is flat. It has bigger bezels, but I prefer it over the S10's design. Full-sized videos now look less warped, and my palm doesn't wrap over the screen as much. It also makes the edge lighting come way more alive against the darker sides of the screens. There are a couple of things I did have a hard time with, including the size of Samsung's default keyboard. With the small display, everything is naturally going to be more condensed. And I did end up finding myself making more typos than I do on similar sized devices like my personal Pixel 2, even after making this keyboard as big as it can get. These are easy fixes, though. I recommend that when you first get the device, adjust the icons so they don't look cartoonishly big, and download something like Gboard to fix those keyboard issues. And while you're at it, buy a better screen protector. The S10s now come with an included screen protector, but they're not as scratch resistant as I'd like. The battery is a little smaller at 3,100 mAh to the S10's 3,400. But it works out to be roughly about the same battery life because the S10E has a smaller display. I've been using the device for about a week and it makes it through an entire day of scrolling through Twitter, Instagram, Slack, and playing games on my commute without needing to recharge until I get home, and that's without using power saving mode. It even has the new Wireless PowerShare feature, which lets you charge other devices off the back of the phone like the Galaxy Buds. Now I'm not going to get into the camera too much, because we already covered most of this in our original S10 review. The thing you should take away is that this camera is great. It takes awesome photos that are sharp and vibrant, and about 90 percent of the time you won't be let down. But if you're comparing it to other competitors like the Pixel 3, Samsung's camera just doesn't quite match the niche features like Night Sight and ultra-wide selfie. Honestly, I think I'm just spoiled by the Pixel's Night Sight. Plus, with the Pixel you can manually enable Night Sight and you can't with the Samsung unless it's really dark out. While Samsung says it plans to send out camera software updates, the Pixel 3's camera is just so much better that if you care a lot about taking photos with your phone, it might be worth considering spending the extra $50 for the Pixel 3. The last E is economics. For $750 you're basically getting the full S10 experience without spending as much money. Samsung phones also tend to go on sale pretty quickly after new Galaxys are announced. So you'll probably find the S10E's discounted or in BOGO deals in a few months. If you looking for a good small Android or one that isn't uncomfortably close to $1,000, I think this is the phone that most people will enjoy without sacrificing much in quality. Smaller and cheaper doesn't have to mean worse. And I think that it's time major smartphone manufacturers start making devices that can do the most without the gigantic size. So while the S10E may not be the phone that can finally fit in my pocket, it's one that I'd be super happy to use at a price point that leaves just a little more breathing room in my wallet. Thanks for tuning in. Now that you've seen all three models of the S10s, let me know in the comments which one is your favorite. And if you like the wallpaper, check out the link in the description to download it. For more videos like this you can check us out on YouTube.com/TheVerge.